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Business Mayor
20-05-2025
- Health
- Business Mayor
TikTok's protein obsession has us lacking another key nutrient
Sign up to IndyEat's free newsletter for weekly recipes, foodie features and cookbook releases Get our food and drink newsletter for free A s health and wellness influencers and recipes gain traction online, one macronutrient outshines the rest: protein. Protein-rich foods are celebrated as the golden answer — the key to keeping you feel full with less calories, helping both weight loss and muscle gain. However, the protein craze could mean we're eating too much for our own good. 'There's always been trends around foods that are extreme,' physiologist George Wells, Ph.D., told The Independent . 'We had low fat, then low sugar, and now we happen to have high protein. The extremes tend to catch people's attention. But they're not good for us and they never last.' Amid the protein craze, we're pushing an important nutrient to the side: fiber. Accredited Practicing Dietitian Kim Lindsay says fiber is ignored because carbohydrates have been demonized and feared. 'When there's a trend towards a low-carb, higher protein, if we're reducing the amount of carbohydrates that we're eating, we're going to naturally reduce the amount of fiber that we're taking in, right?' Lindsay explained. 'We have to have a balanced diet where we include plant foods, protein-containing foods, and fats in our diet.' Instead, balance is being pushed aside for protein-rich eggs, meat and seafood. Snacks previously called 'junk food' are getting a wellness makeover, with added protein now found in many bars, chips and gummies. Even the Kardashians are on board, with Khloe Kardashian recently launching her protein popcorn, 'Kloud,' which offers seven grams of protein per one cup of popcorn. Read More How to protect yourself from tick-borne TBEV virus The International Food Information Council's annual survey found that 71 percent of consumers were trying to increase their protein intake this year, a 6 percent rise from 2023. The survey also found that exposure to food and nutrition content online, much of which is protein focused, is up by 54 percent. To be clear, protein is an essential macronutrient to help bodily functions, like fighting infection, providing energy, and building and maintaining muscle mass. Intake depends on body weight, with general guidance being that a just over a third of the calories we consume each day should come from protein. So, with the average American woman weighing around 171 pounds, she should consume about 62 grams of protein a day. The average American man, at around 200 pounds, should eat about 72 grams of protein daily. (Getty/iStock) However, Wells believes that due to social media, we're only focused on having as much protein as possible. 'I think the craze around protein right now probably is linked to bodybuilding and the obsession with body composition — looking like you have the six-pack abs,' he said. But that ignores the flip side. 'If you have too much protein, it's really hard for the body to deal with all of the amino acids that are floating around,' Wells added. That's where fiber comes in handy. Typically found in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, fiber is particularly beneficial to your digestive system and keeping you regular. While men should have about 38 grams a day and women should have 25 grams, as noted by dietitian Kristin Kirkpatrick, you shouldn't just jump into doing that if you've been eating way less. 'Fiber intake should be tailored to the individual and the microbiome. However, if you are well under this amount, you should go slow to allow the body adequate time to adjust,' Kirkpatrick, the owner of KAK nutrition consulting, explained. She added that fiber can also prevent certain cancers and type 2 diabetes and improve heart health. (Getty/iStock) Observational studies have found a fiber deficiency among Americans. According to a study published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, only five percent of the population has the recommended amount of fiber a day. Inadequate intake can result in health issues like chronic constipation and gastrointestinal problems. Similar to avoiding high-processed foods just because they've got extra protein added to them, we should focus on eating real foods that are naturally high in fiber rather than ultra-processed foods with bits of fiber in them. 'We gravitate towards highly processed foods because they're engineered to taste fantastic,' Wells said. 'They're high in sugar and salts, and we crave them as a result. There's no real incentive for the processed foods to be satiating. They're great for business, but they're really not very good for our health.'
The Independent
10-04-2025
- Business
- The Independent
The last generation? Why Britain's family-run Chinese and Indian restaurants are at a crossroads
Sign up to IndyEat's free newsletter for weekly recipes, foodie features and cookbook releases Get our food and drink newsletter for free Get our food and drink newsletter for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy At a certain point in the 1980s, Amy Poon realised that her childhood was unusual. While her friends were pooling together their pocket money to share a McDonald's milkshake, she was hosting them at her parents' restaurant and signing off the bill. 'I was certainly a friend with benefits!' she laughs now. But behind the scenes, it wasn't always as glamorous as it seemed. 'Although we were surrounded by people the whole time, it was quite a lonely childhood,' Poon reflects. 'My parents worked six days a week – they didn't clock off at 5pm. I spent a lot of time at the restaurant.' Her parents, Bill and Cecilia, opened Poon's of Covent Garden in 1973, earning a Michelin star in 1980 and becoming one of London's most iconic Chinese restaurants, helping to shift perceptions of the cuisine in Britain. Around the same time, in Southall, Dipna Anand was also growing up in a restaurant. Aptly named, Brilliant Restaurant, the establishment was founded in Nairobi in the 1950s by her grandfather and brought to London by her father Gulu in the early 1970s. Specialising in Punjabi cuisine, it won plaudits from locals, critics and visiting dignitaries alike. But for Anand, 'The restaurant was like a second home,' she says. 'Some of my earliest memories are of being in the kitchen, watching my dad cook.' She remembers stacking bottles, laying out paper tablecloths and learning to peel garlic, roll chapatis, and blend spices. For decades, family-run Chinese and Indian restaurants like these formed the backbone of British high streets. But that generation of restaurateurs is ageing. The children who grew up in the kitchens and dining rooms their parents built now stand at a crossroads. Some are walking away entirely. Others are returning on their own terms. And many are asking: are we going to be the last generation? Does it all end with us? open image in gallery Poon's of Covent Garden during Chinese New Year celebrations ( Amy Poon ) Before Deliveroo and drive-throughs, the height of culinary excitement came in a foil tray or under a plastic lid (we all had a cupboard dedicated to stacks of the nation's unofficial Tupperware). From Bradford to Aberystwyth, the local Chinese or Indian was often the first place we encountered a cuisine that wasn't our own. They became our go-to celebrations, our weeknight crutches, our Friday night rituals. Sweet and sour chicken, tikka masala, prawn crackers, poppadoms. Anglicised, yes, but beloved all the same. These restaurants didn't just feed us – they became part of the nation's culinary DNA. Many were opened by immigrants who found in food a way to survive, and then to thrive. Economic necessity became cultural cornerstone. Later waves of immigration brought regional variety – Sichuan and Hunan joined Cantonese staples; Indian menus expanded to include Keralan fish curries and Punjabi dhaba classics. By the 1980s, nearly every British town had its Chinese or Indian staple – sometimes the only hot food available after 8pm, post-pub. The Sunday roast is still sacred, sure, but the Friday night curry has its own kind of reverence. The classic story is one of sacrifice. Long hours. Gruelling work. Hospitality as a form of honour. 'Running a Chinese restaurant didn't rank with doctor, journalist, designer, engineer, musician, artist, management consultant,' says Poon. 'Anyone growing up in a Chinese restaurant will attest to the punishing hours, the hard, often grimy work and the perception that it is something you do because you aren't qualified to do anything else.' That perception, of course, has always been false. Poon's father plonked a glass kitchen in the middle of the restaurant in 1976 – decades before open kitchens were trendy – to counter the stereotype that Chinese kitchens were dirty or unskilled. He pioneered clay pot rice and introduced wind-dried meats. Diners remember his food with the kind of emotion usually reserved for weddings or funerals. The highly acclaimed chef 'Henry Harris talks about a crispy garlic and chilli squid dish that he shared with his wife 39 years ago as a mouthful that changed his life,' Poon says. Michael Birt, one of the UK's leading portrait photographers, is writing about a noodle dish he had at Poon's in the Seventies for his memoir. Australian celebrity chef Iain Hewitson remembers a 'wonderful chilli and garlic calamari dish'. I know plenty who have stepped away, either because they wanted a different lifestyle or because they saw first hand how demanding the industry can be Dipna Anand, chef and author But while the legacy might be revered, it isn't always inherited. Many children of these restaurants grew up determined not to follow in their parents' footsteps. 'The industry wasn't glamorous or well regarded, so it's small wonder that a Chinese restaurant kid would want to pursue another avenue,' says Poon. Of course, the allure of opportunities for their children was one of the main reasons these immigrant restaurateurs came here in the first place: so their kids might be able to attend university, pursue white-collar careers, step into lives their parents never had the chance to. In sociologist speak, it's called the 'immigrant bargain' – repaying your parents' sacrifices by achieving professional success, even if it means turning away from the family business. Others call it 'generational drift' or 'brain drain'. Anand sees it clearly in her own community. 'The hospitality industry is incredibly rewarding but also very demanding,' she says. 'Unlike our parents' generation, who built their businesses through sheer hard work and long hours, many younger generations have seen first hand the sacrifices involved – late nights, unpredictable schedules and the physical toll.' 'There's also been a shift in aspirations. Many second-generation British Indians have had access to higher education and a wider range of career options. In some cases, there's also a perception that hospitality isn't as prestigious or lucrative as other professions.' It's not always a rejection – sometimes just a redirection. 'Some of my peers, like me, have chosen to stay in hospitality because it's in our blood,' she continues. 'But I know plenty who have stepped away, either because they wanted a different lifestyle or because they saw first hand how demanding the industry can be.' Poon, for one, swore she would never go into the restaurant business. 'It was not a lifestyle I wanted for myself and my family,' she says. She worked in advertising, ran a champagne bar in Singapore's red light district and wrote a couple of silly books – 'the kind you put in the loo'. It was only in her forties, with two daughters and a sense that it was time to 'grow up and put down some roots', that she felt the pull back. 'There was this gift of an opportunity that I was beginning to grasp,' she says. A talking-to from a friend sealed the deal: 'She told me off for 'faffing around'!' open image in gallery The aptly named Brilliant Restaurant was brought to London in the early 1970s ( Dipna Anand ) Anand, by contrast, was all in from the start. 'My family never expected me to take over the business… For me, it was always a natural choice,' she says. Her brother took longer to find his way back, but now they run the business together. Still, the shape of the business is changing. Brilliant Restaurant is closing its doors after half a century. In its place, Anand and her brother are opening a gastropub. 'We're not stepping away from hospitality,' she says. Instead, 'we are transitioning', building on what their family started. 'That's the beauty of hospitality: it allows you to adapt while keeping your roots intact.' The pressure to adapt isn't just emotional – it's economic. 'The restaurant industry has changed massively, and keeping a family-run restaurant going has become more challenging than ever,' Anand says. 'One of the biggest shifts has been the rising costs across the board: ingredients, gas, electricity, materials and wages.' 'The key to survival in this industry is innovation,' Anand says – but not all innovation works in a restaurant's favour. Delivery apps like Deliveroo and Uber Eats may have revolutionised how Britons order food, but they've done so at a cost. Commission fees of 25 to 35 per cent can gut already slim margins. To offset this, many raise prices on the apps, making their food appear disproportionately expensive and sometimes driving customers away. Worse still, these platforms act as middlemen, stripping restaurants of access to their customers, their data and their loyalty. Convenience, it turns out, isn't always mutual. Poon, too, has found herself innovating. Rather than reopen a traditional restaurant, she launched Poon's London with pop-ups and a sauce range. Her Wontoneria at Spa Terminus sells freshly prepared wontons alongside Asian pantry staples. She has no grand plan. 'I'm not that strategic!' she laughs. Yet the outcome is something modern and personal. 'The family name isn't something rigid. It's an evolving, living thing,' she says. 'I couldn't have done any of this without the platform that my parents have provided… I always feel there are shades of Gatsby in what I am doing, not in a bad way, but I do recognise what came before so I can do what I do.' The traditional Chinese takeaway is dwindling in numbers but I think there has been evolution Amy Poon If that sounds romantic, it is. But there's pragmatism too. Very few new family-run Chinese or Indian restaurants are opening in Britain today, and many of the old guard are quietly closing. 'Back then, while it was still hard work, the overall costs were lower, and there was a stronger pipeline of skilled chefs,' Anand says. Customer habits have changed, too. 'People expect quicker service, more convenience and competitive pricing, which can be difficult to balance while maintaining quality,' she says. 'At the same time, diners are more adventurous and competition has increased.' The brain drain is being felt here, too. 'Fewer younger people are entering the industry, and the skilled chefs who understand authentic Indian cuisine are becoming harder to find.' She's hopeful the next generation will adapt. But she's also honest. 'I sincerely hope that family-run curry houses will still be around in 20 years, but it's not looking very promising,' she says. 'These restaurants are more than just places to eat, they represent generations of tradition, passion and hard work. They've played a huge role in shaping Britain's love for Indian food, and it would be a real loss if they started disappearing.' Poon is slightly more optimistic. 'Dining trends are fickle and cyclical,' she says. 'The traditional Chinese takeaway is dwindling in numbers, but I think there has been evolution.' She points to new-wave concepts like Three Uncles, a slick Cantonese roast meat shop that brings the flavours of Chinatown's hanging-duck windows into a more modern, grab-and-go setting. And Rice Guys, a former street food stall turned delivery-focused brand offering modern takes on classic dishes like char siu and mapo tofu. Both fuse the flavours and comfort of traditional Chinese cooking with a fast-casual model and contemporary branding. 'These are brilliant, thriving, delicious examples of the Chinese takeaway, brought into the next generation,' says Poon – familiar in flavour, but reimagined for a different time. open image in gallery Bill and Cecilia Poon on their wedding day ( Amy Poon ) Both agree that success today lies in finding new ways to preserve old stories. Poon puts it beautifully: 'All sorts of people have come forward to share their most wonderful memories of eating at Poon's, of meeting my parents, of what my father cooked for them, of how my mother helped them.' 'Then there are my own stories of meeting people like Sean Connery and Barbra Streisand, who I didn't think were of any interest to anyone at the time!' Anand believes innovation that preserves stories and traditions is the way forward, too. 'Some of the best Indian restaurants today are chef-driven concepts that push boundaries while still respecting tradition. I think the future will be a mix.' So, is this the last generation? Maybe not. But it is a different one. One that grew up between tandoors and textbooks, between clay pots and career days. One that knows how much it cost to build these legacies – and how much it might cost to let them go. Whether they choose to inherit, reinvent or walk away, one thing is clear: what their families built still matters to us as much as it does to them. These were the places that fed us on quiet Friday nights, long before food delivery became an algorithm. Many may be disappearing, but those that endure are finding new ways to adapt – evolving without forgetting where they came from. And neither will we.
The Independent
12-03-2025
- General
- The Independent
Poppy O'Toole's salt and vinegar crispy cubes – the ultimate chip upgrade
Sign up to IndyEat's free newsletter for weekly recipes, foodie features and cookbook releases Get our food and drink newsletter for free Get our food and drink newsletter for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy 'If you're the sort of person who delves to the depths of the chip cone for those crispy scraps bobbing about in a sea of vinegar, this is the recipe for you,' says chef and food writer Poppy O'Toole. 'These cubes are perfect served alongside battered cod and some fluorescent curry sauce.' Salt and vinegar crispy cubes Ingredients: 1kg Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes 100ml malt vinegar, plus extra to serve 4 tbsp neutral oil Flaky salt, to serve Method: open image in gallery An entire book dedicated to the world's greatest carb? Finally ( Bloomsbury ) 1. Get your potatoes into a saucepan of heavily salted, cold water. Add the vinegar, place the pan over a high heat and bring the liquid to the boil. Reduce the heat and leave on a gentle boil for 5-7 minutes, until the potatoes fall off the tip of a knife. 2. Drain in a colander. Place the colander over the pan on the turned-off hob, cover with a clean tea towel and leave the potatoes to steam-dry for 10 minutes. 3. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/400F/gas 6 and get the oil into a baking tray. Pop the tray into the oven to get the oil hot. This is important for getting that crispy crunchiness. 4. Once the potatoes have steam-dried, get the hot tray out of the oven, carefully tip in the potatoes and turn to coat. 5. Roast the potatoes for 30 minutes, then give them a mix and put them back in the oven for a further 15 minutes, until super-golden and crunchy. Keep an eye on them in case they need less or more time. (Alternatively, you can fry them in a fryer). 6. Serve sprinkled with flaky salt and an extra dousing of vinegar. Recipe from 'The Potato Book' by Poppy Cooks (Bloomsbury, £22).
The Independent
12-03-2025
- General
- The Independent
Poppy O'Toole swaps sad tortilla chips for crispy spuds in her nacho makeover
Sign up to IndyEat's free newsletter for weekly recipes, foodie features and cookbook releases Get our food and drink newsletter for free Get our food and drink newsletter for free 'A nacho dish… without the nachos. Hear me out, though,' says chef and chief potato recipe gal Poppy O'Toole. 'Sometimes I find with nachos that the toppings are insanely good, but then you dig a lil' deeper and are faced with those sad, bland tortilla crisps that no amount of cheese can save. 'I've rectified that. Say goodbye to the crisps and hello to golden, crunchy, smashed potatoes.' Smashed potato nachos Serves: 4 Ingredients: 1.2kg Maris Piper potatoes, halved (no need to peel) Salt and black pepper For the spiced oil: 1 tsp smoked paprika 1 tsp garlic granules 2 tbsp olive oil For the pickled red onions: 1 red onion, finely sliced Juice of 3-4 limes Pinch of caster sugar To serve and garnish: 1 ripe avocado ½ red onion, finely diced Juice of 1 lime Small bunch of coriander, leaves finely chopped 3 slices of American processed cheese Splash of whole milk, or as needed Sour cream Sliced pickled jalapeños Sliced red chilli Sliced spring onions Method: An entire book dedicated to the world's greatest carb? Finally (Bloomsbury) 1. Get your potatoes into a saucepan of heavily salted, cold water. Place the pan over a high heat and bring the water to the boil. Reduce the heat and leave on a gentle boil for 20–25 minutes, until the potatoes fall off the tip of a knife. 2. Drain in a colander. Place the colander over the pan on the turned-off hob and leave to steam-dry with a tea towel over the top for five to 10 minutes. 3. Meanwhile, heat your oven to 200C/180C fan/400F/gas 6. On a large baking tray, space out the potatoes and use the bottom of a jar or tin to press them down and crush them so they have lots of edges to go crispy. 4. To make the spiced oil, mix together the smoked paprika, garlic granules and a big pinch each of salt and pepper with the olive oil. Use some of this to brush all over the potatoes, then roast them in the oven for 30-40 minutes, before flipping them over, brushing with a little more spiced oil, and roasting for 15-20 minutes more, until the spiced oil has turned a dark red and the potatoes are cooked and crispy. 5. Meanwhile, mix together the ingredients for the pickled red onions (you want just enough lime juice to cover them) and leave them to soften and infuse for at least 10 minutes, then set aside. 6. De-stone the avocado and scoop out the flesh into a bowl. Smash the avocado with a fork and mix through the red onion, lime juice and chopped coriander. Season well with salt and pepper. 7. In a small microwaveable bowl, microwave the American cheese slices with the splash of milk, on full power in 30-second bursts. Stir after each burst, until the cheese has melted to a sauce. Add in a bit more milk if it is a little thick. 8. Layer up the potatoes with the pickled onions, dollops of guacamole and sour cream, and a few jalapeño and chilli slices, then drizzle with the cheese sauce and garnish with a sprinkling of spring onions. Recipe from 'The Potato Book' by Poppy Cooks (Bloomsbury, £22).
